The data show that the most heavily used IoT programs are ones that make home life easier, more distinctive, and more pleasant. Respondents also show a big preference for services that don’t require them to go out of their way to make something work. People using the Internet of Things increasingly prefer interfaces that are more natural and less visible (and attention-sapping) than screens. In other words, they don’t want to type instructions on a tablet, interact with a device, or mess with settings on a cell phone to get what they want. Instead, they value these technologies as “living services” that anticipate their wants and act on them.

Interestingly, they classify what people want from IoT into four categories:

Technology that extends security

Apps that quantify the self

Services that optimise our machines

Creative ways to enhance daily experiences

With “Extend security” at number one, Spark’s recent moves to enter the home security market makes a lot of sense.

Outside the home, people building IoT services should take a cue from the underlying preferences and behaviours that this study highlights. As the authors say, “personalized services that take up residence alongside us, so to speak, and learn from our behaviors—is context-agnostic.”